Saturday, June 11, 2022

Air Tractor AT-602, N5007R: Accident occurred June 01, 2022 in Allport, Lonoke County, Arkansas

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident. 

Additional Participating Entities: 
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Little Rock, Arkansas
Air Tractor; Olney, Texas
Hartzell Propeller; Piqua, Ohio
Transportation Safety Board of Canada; Gatineau, Québec
Pratt & Whitney Canada; Longueuil, Québec

Webb Flying Service Inc


Location: Allport, Arkansas
Accident Number: CEN22LA228
Date and Time: June 1, 2022, 17:00 Local
Registration: N5007R
Aircraft: AIR TRACTOR INC AT-602
Injuries: 1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 137: Agricultural

On June 1, 2022, about 1700 central daylight time, an Air Tractor AT-602 airplane, N5007R, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Allport, Arkansas. The pilot sustained minor injury. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight.

The pilot reported he was on the 35th flight of the day and the airplane had been performing all day with no issues noted. The airplane was refueled two flights prior, and at the time of the accident, each wing fuel tank was about half full of fuel. The airplane’s 6,500 lb hopper was loaded with 3,600 lbs of urea. For the accident flight, the pilot intended to fly to a rice field near Humnoke, Arkansas, to apply fertilizer. Immediately after the takeoff from the private airstrip, the pilot heard a “loud pop” noise emit from the turboprop engine and he observed flames emit from the left side of the airplane. The pilot confirmed that a loss of engine power occurred, he made sure the flaps were down, and he began to scan the area to perform a forced landing.

During the forced landing sequence, the pilot reported that it felt like there was a “slight recovery” of engine power, but then the engine ceased producing power. The pilot retarded the throttle and landed to a flat field consisting of grass, dirt, and mud. During the landing, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The pilot was able to egress from the airplane without further incident.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, the fuselage, and the empennage. The Federal Aviation Administration responded to the accident site and noted a strong odor consistent with fuel. The wreckage was recovered from the accident site for future examination work. At the time of the accident, the estimated density altitude for the airstrip was 2,672 ft above msl.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: AIR TRACTOR INC
Registration: N5007R
Model/Series: AT-602 NO SERIES 
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator: 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: Agricultural aircraft (137)
Operator Designator Code: VYWG

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: VMC 
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KSGT,223 ft msl
Observation Time: 16:56 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 12 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 33°C /22°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 4800 ft AGL 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 8 knots / , 220°
Lowest Ceiling: 
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.9 inches Hg 
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Allport, AR
Destination: Allport, AR

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Minor 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Minor 
Latitude, Longitude: 34.542831,-91.808921 (est)

4 comments:

  1. The 35th flight of that *day* and this happened at 5PM local with at least 3 more hours of daylight flying time? Wow. Assuming he started at the crack of dawn at 6:00AM local to this incident at 5PM, that was 11 hours and 3 flights per hour including stops. Likely he started well after 6AM meaning more than 3 flights per hour. I knew these guys were busy in one day to maximize revenue for use, but I don't know how that is even possible between fueling and hopper refills, let alone human break times. He must have had one heck of a large farming area to cover with quick access to RTB for refills.

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    Replies
    1. That’s what we do.not uncommon to fly 15 hr days

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    2. I’ve had many days with 70+ flights. My biggest was 89 TO and landings

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  2. Some guys make 70 landings a day. As far as flight time goes, not unusual to start 20 min before dawn and fly until 30 min after sunset. Flying all day.

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